Editorial: New AD must have thick skin

Bowen is on the job: New U of M athletic director Tom Bowen can't let the coming scrutiny of fans diminish his enthusiasm for the job.

He's only been on the job for a few days, but we probably don't have tell new University of Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen about the lofty position the Tigers hold in this community.

He's probably already sensed how deeply invested Memphians are in Tiger athletics, the sense of ownership they feel -- and the strong positions they hold on what directions the enterprise ought to take.

It's one of the best things about being the athletic director at the UofM -- all that passion, all that support.

It's also one of the great challenges of the job -- trying to do your job with a city looking over your shoulder, offering suggestions.

How Bowen handles the latter will be crucial to his success.

Our first bit of advice: Embrace Memphis -- all of it.

Yes, money drives major college athletics, more than ever. That means the support of corporate titans and other superdonors is vital. But the fans in the cheap seats want to be heard, as well. They deserve to be. This city's enduring love affair with the Tigers is, in the end, more about hearts than wallets.

Our second bit of advice: Keep the criticism of the Tigers in perspective. When the basketball program is on a losing streak or otherwise underachieving, there will be fans openly questioning whether Josh Pastner can coach. That's somewhat of a local obsession, as we're still early in the Pastner era. That's also the nature of Tiger basketball in Memphis, just generally. It doesn't mean those fans are about to abandon the program. It means they care -- a lot.

And finally, our third bit of advice: Be thick-skinned. The appetite for Tigers coverage is voracious in this town, and the media feeds it accordingly. Many major college programs -- especially those sharing markets with a major league franchise -- would love to receive the amount of newspaper, radio and TV coverage given the Tigers.

But with such attention comes scrutiny, from watchdog reporters and columnists alike. The athletic director at the UofM tends to be written and talked about, sometimes critically. It comes with the territory. Again, it's because of the intense interest this city has in all things Tigers.